Sounds of genuine Rebetiko

And a summer story !

My love for the genuine rebetiko music started at the age of 15. Inspired by my instructor Giorgo Manteli, a rebeti bouzouki player, good friend of Lafka, Tsitsani and Xioti, who took me under his wings and introduced me to the magical era of 1940s-1950s.

In a period of 1 & 1/2 year I learned to play with Mr. Manteli's help and guideness, some of the most famous Vamvakaris, Tsitsanis', Papaioannou, Xatzixristou, Xiotis', Mitsakis', Genitsaris' and Lafkas' songs. But as the time of the nationwide exams for admission to University was approaching, the free time for music became absent. It was the point of my life, where I had to choose a stable career over my love for music.

It was the summer of my nationwide exams, when accidentally I heard at the radio for the first time, the genuine rebetiko song of Stelio Keromuti and Giorgo Petropoulea,"Ο ζωντανός ο χωρισμός", singed by the magical voice of Giorgo Kavoura. That particular sound of an older rebetiko era, made me drop my books on the spot, and grab my bouzouki for first time after months, trying to figure out the tunes of the song before it ends.Thinking back in time, I now believe that the lyrics of this song spoke to my heart. My "separation" from music and the absence of it in my life, was similar to the separation of G.Petropouleas song .

Those same lyrics became, the inspiration to write my amateur song in 2005, with a similar theme (separation).Following the beautiful song posted on youtube by LEGEND1309